Recovery of acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile produced by the ammoxidation of propylene or isobutylene on a commercial scale has been accomplished by quenching the reactor effluent with water and passing the gaseous stream containing acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile resulting from the quench to an absorber where water and the gases are contacted in a counter-current flow to remove all of the acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile. A voluminous liquid stream is formed which is subjected to further recovery steps.
The present invention is directed toward increasing the efficiency of the recovery of acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile while at the same time reducing the capital and operating expenses incurred in the construction and operation of the plant.